Steering Committee on Organizational Effectiveness (SCOE) Members

Lessa Kanani’opua Pelayo-Lozada, ALA member since 2007
- ALA Executive Board Member (2017-2020)
- Councilor (2012-2018)
- Past president and current Executive Director of the Asian/Pacific American Librarians Association.
- Emerging Leader (2011)
- Chair of the Office for Diversity, Literacy, and Outreach Services Advisory Committee
Ms. Pelayo-Lozada is honored to serve as chair of SCOE and believes the association is in an exciting time of change which will allow it to connect with newer professionals and library lovers to support their goals and libraries as a whole. As a newer professional and member of ALA since her student days, Ms. Pelayo-Lozada hopes to reinvigorate ALA so that other new professionals and members can find the same reward in membership and participation as she did.

Emily Daly, ALA member since 2006.
- ACRL Board of Directors (2016-2020)
- ACRL University Libraries Section Executive Committee, Member-at-Large (2012-2015)
- ACRL University Libraries Section, Technology in University Libraries, Chair (2011-2012)
- Emerging Leader (2011)
Daly became involved in ALA as a student member and then as an ALA Emerging Leader. She has been active in ACRL for the last ten years and currently serves on ACRL’s Board of Directors. Emily was very pleased to be invited to serve on SCOE. She’s grateful to have the opportunity to consider the needs of academic librarians and the ACRL Division as SCOE works to make ALA more inclusive, efficient, and effective for all members.

Kenny Garcia, ALA Member since 2009
- President, REFORMA: The National Association to Promote Library and Information Services to Latinos and the Spanish-Speaking
- Past Coordinator, Social Responsibilities Round Table (SRRT)
- Past Chair, Association of College & Research Libraries (ACRL) Diversity Committee
I joined SCOE to work with folks on imagining what a better ALA would look like. The reimagining of the association can support a refocus on member engagement in order to improve the experiences of its newer and potential members. I hope that the SCOE recommendations will give ALA members more focused opportunities to participate in governance and leadership, and would allow for easier ways for the association to adapt to structural changes based on professional reflection and member-led feedback.

Terri Grief, ALA member since 1996
- AASL Division Councilor, 2003-2005
- ALA Executive Board, 2005-2009
- AASL President, 2014-2015ALA
- Chapter Councilor, 2009-2011
- ALA At-Large Councilor, 2011-2013, 2016-2019
Terri found her first niche in ALA on the AASL Affiliate Assembly over twenty years ago. From that first meeting, she knew ALA and AASL were going to play a huge role in her professional life. She wants that same experience for new members-a way to find their place and to feel the power of the ALA. The recommendations of this committee make this process more transparent and will give members more opportunities to engage and find their place

Ben Hunter, ALA member since 2006
- Idaho Chapter Councilor (2014-2020)
- Chair, ALA Constitution and Bylaws Committee (2019-2020)
- Chair, ALA Chapter Relations Committee (2015-2016)
- ALA Emerging Leader (2011)
- President, Idaho Library Association (2010-2011)
Mr. Hunter believes that our local, regional, and national associations are the lifeblood of librarianship. He is thrilled to be part of SCOE and is excited to help find ways to better engage our members, strengthen the relationship between chapters and ALA, and maximize ALA’s impact in our profession.

Jack Martin, ALA since 2003
- YALSA Board, 2009-2014
- YALSA President, 2012-2013
- Rhode Island Chapter Councilor, 2014-Present
- ALA Nominating Committee, 2017-2018
- ALA Council Committee On Committees, 2018-2019
Mr. Martin is thrilled to be part of SCOE and hopes that the committee’s recommendations bring clarity and transparency to ALA and its members. He sincerely believes that the extraordinary members of this committee have put their best foot forward in determining these recommendations. He hopes that the resulting, newly transformed ALA will make it easier for members to see their paths and opportunities throughout the organization.

James (Jim) G. Neal, ALA Member since 1975
- ALA President (2017-18)
- ALA Treasurer (2010-13)
- ALA Executive Board (1997-2001, 2010-19)
- ALA Council (1994-2001, 2010-2022)
- ALA Executive Director Search Committee (1993-94, 2000-01, 2017-19)
Jim Neal initiated SCOE as a critical opportunity for the Association to review and rethink and refresh its organization and governance. The goals are to create a more fluid and agile Association, that enables increased member participation and impact on the policies and priorities of ALA.

Vailey Oehlke, ALA Member since 1991
- Past President of PLA
- founding member of the Digital Content Working Group
- member, Measures that Matter (led by COSLA)
As libraries continue to evolve in response to fundamental changes in the world around us, it stands to reason that our main professional organization would engage in the difficult but critical work to do the same. Vailey is excited to see ALA moving away from “nibbling around the edges” to exploring wholesale structural change that will result in an association that is more strategic, responsive, inclusive and efficient.

Juan W. Rivera, ALA Member since 2014
- Emerging Leader 2018
- Social Media Board of AASL
- Member of YALSA
- Member of AASL
As a recent member of ALA and an Emerging Leader in 2018, I bring a newcomer’s perspective to SCOE. As an Emerging Leader, I received an introduction to the structure of ALA. The organizational chart of ALA was confusing and daunting, even though we received an orientation. While preserving the values that drive ALA and its members, I feel the work of SCOE, guided by member input, will actually create a clearer “picture” of ALA so new and old members can see clearly how to drive and impact change.

Felton Thomas, Jr., ALA member since 2001
- Public Library Association (PLA) President (2016-2017)
- PLA Board of Directors (2012-2018)
- Chair – PLA National Conference Committee (2019-2020)
- Chair – Demco New Leaders Travel Grant (2013)
- Member – ALA Chapter Relations Committee (2016)
I am appreciative of the opportunity to work beside a very experienced and skilled group of library professionals, whom are dedicated to redesigning the American Library Association to better serve its members. As a public librarian for over twenty-five years, I have grown and developed my leadership skills through my membership in ALA. I’m committed to providing the same opportunities for the librarians of the future, especially those librarians of color.

Nora Wiltse. ALA member since 2002
- ALA, AASL, and ALSC member
- Member of 2018 Presidential Summit “Fight for School Libraries”
- AALS Strategic Planning committee member
As a school librarian in Chicago, I have been increasingly involved in ALA through my advocacy work. AASL and ALA have been important partners in the national fight for school librarians and my work on SCOE is through that lens. I feel that a sensitive and careful restructuring of ALA can free up resources to better serve our members in many ways, including advocacy.

Shali Zhang, ALA member since 1988
- Chair of ALA/APA Certification Program Committee, 2015-2017.
- Chair of IRRT Global Leaders Campaign Ad Hoc Committee, 2015-2016.
- Chair of ALA International Relations Committee (IRC), 2010-2012.
- Chair of ALA International Relations Round Table (IRRT), 2009-2010.
- ALA Councilor-at-Large, 2004-2007.
We are now in the rapidly changing environment on informational technologies, increased library conferences and network opportunities, diverse needs of new members, and competing forces for the ALA limited resources. It is an exciting time to see that ALA is moving forward with a new vision, new structure, and new ways to engage all of its members, to communicate effectively to its members, and to better represent its members in many fronts on critical issues at home and on the global scale. I am deeply grateful for being a member of SCOE that helps realize the ALA’s vision, Forward Together.

Wanda Kay Brown, ALA member since 1989
- ALA President (2019-2020)
- ALA Executive Board Member (2001-03, 2014-16)
- President, Black Caucus of ALA (2014-16), Treasurer (1992-96, 2016-18)
- President, North Carolina Library Association (2011-13)
- BCALA Leadership Award (2013)

Emmanuel Faulkner, ALA member since 2010
- ALA 2020 Nomination Committee Chair
- Presidential Initiative – Fight for School Librarians
- Past President of Maryland Association of School Librarians
- MASL Advocacy Chair
I am honored to be given the opportunity to serve our dear profession. I wanted to help our profession and organization move into its next phase. In addition, to ensure that the voices of School Librarians were heard.

Amanda Goodsett, ALA member since 2011
- New Members RoundTable President, 2018
- ALA Emerging Leader, 2015
- Academic Library Association of Ohio (Ohio ACRL Chapter) Vice President, 2019
As a newer member of ALA, Ms. Goodsett is very excited to be part of a project that has intentionally included the diverse voices that make up ALA, including new library professionals. The forward-thinking, exciting model that SCOE is envisioning makes her eager to meaningfully participate in ALA and its exciting projects going forward.

Alexia Hudson-Ward, ALA member since 2003
- Chair, ACRL College Libraries Section
- ALA Committee on Professional Ethics Member
- ACRL Budget and Finance Committee Member
SCOE is remarkably important to the long term viability of ALA.
I committed to serve on this committee because I am passionate not only about the ALA of “today” but the promise of a greater ALA of tomorrow, that will better serve our members short and long term goals and desires. I have been a member of many professional associations and I believe that there is none greater than ALA. We’ve grown to serve many interests yet to our general membership, we’ve become labyrinthine – which is a legitimate concern. Our next level work, of which SCOE is central to, means that we are co-creating a more member-centric, dynamic organization.

Steve Laird, ALA member since 1998
- Past President of United for Libraries (2017-2018)
- Current United for Libraries Board Member
- Champion-level sponsor of ALA
As an ALA member that works with libraries and librarians as a vendor, SCOE is a great opportunity to offer a unique perspective on the future of the association. The community of association members goes far beyond librarians and includes vendors, trustees, volunteers, friends groups and more. SCOE is an opportunity to ensure that these unique voices are heard, and that future planning is done with these groups in mind.

Alanna Aiko Moore, ALA member since 2003
- President, Asian Pacific American Librarians Association (2019-2020)
- Chair, Committee on Diversity (2014-2016)
- Chair (2011) and Member (2010-2012, 2016-2018), Spectrum Scholar Advisory Council –
- Spectrum Scholar (2003)
- Member, EMIERT (2006- present), Rainbow Roundtable (2004- present)
As a proud member of ALA for over 15 years, Alanna is honored to serve as a member of SCOE. She looks forward to helping ALA to move forward and embrace changes that make it a more welcoming and inclusive organization, especially to newer professionals and those from traditionally underrepresented groups. Alanna hopes that wide structural changes will help ALA to be more responsive, effective, financially stable, and increase opportunities for members to engage with the work through a variety of leadership opportunities.

Lucinda Nord, ALA member since 2016
- Active participant International Council of Library Association Executives (2016-2019)
- Past presenter for Chapter Leaders Forum
Ms. Lucinda Nord was a philanthropic donor to libraries for more than 25 years before becoming executive director of Indiana Library Federation in 2016. As a nonprofit association executive and long-term lobbyist, Nord champions the ways ALA and state associations may work together in shaping library-related public policies and funding. Nord shares a deep sense of urgency to modernize ALA structures so that library services will be relevant, innovative, responsive for the next 100 years.

Andrew K. Pace, ALA Member since 1995
- ALA Executive Board (2016-2019)
- ALA Council (2012-2019)
- Committee on Organization (2014-2016)
- LITA President (2008-2009)
- American Libraries Columnist (2004-2008)
With all the changes happening with professional associations, at ALA, and in libraries, there’s no better time to modernize ALA’s governance structure and revitalize engagement for members. SCOE is not only a herculean effort to bring things up to date, find efficiencies, and simplify navigation of the association, it enhances democratic representation in leadership, increases accountability of the Board, and better leverages the domain strengths of member volunteers. I”m excited to be a part of this change and to build a framework for iterative changes going forward.

Karen G. Schneider, ALA Member since 1991
- ALA Executive Board (2019 – )
- ALA Council (1997 – 2001, 2002 – 2004, 2004 – 2006, 2012- 2015, 2018 – present)
- Committee work from 1992 – present in PLA, LITA, ACRL, GLBTRT and other units, including nominating committees, bylaws, web advisory, member participation, and technology introduction and advocacy
- Former Chair of Intellectual Freedom Committees in New York and California,
- Founding member of GLBT group for New Jersey Library Association
I have worked in public, special, and academic libraries, as well as for consortia and vendors, and I am also a public library commissioner. Throughout my career, ALA has been a constant source for my professional growth and networking, and ALA has also tirelessly advocated on behalf of the issues that are important to me as a librarian. I care deeply about ALA and am honored to be part of the change effort to help the ALA of tomorrow reflect the significant societal changes that affect how associations can and should function and how we as an association attract, retain, and engage member communities.

Kerry Ward, ALA staff member since 1998
- Began ALA career with ALTA (now United for Libraries)
- Currently executive director of ALCTS and LLAMA divisions
- Association management background
I am happy to represent the staff on SCOE. I think staff understand that ALA is at a critical juncture. It no longer has the capacity – financial, staff, technology – to support the extremely complex organizational structure that has evolved over many decades. SCOE provides a generational opportunity to align organizational structure with mission priorities, and to increase staff capacity to deliver the products and services members tell us they need.

Steven Yates, ALA member since 2007
- Policy Corps (2019 cohort)
- AASL President (2017-2018)
- Committee on Appointments (2016-2017)
- Committee on Diversity (2013-2015)
- Emerging Leader (2010)
SCOE’s work is an opportunity to make sure the ways we do business best align with our mission and strategic directions. I have enjoyed learning more about ALA and working with talented colleagues throughout the process and look forward to our continued conversations and progress toward the best future for libraries and library workers.